


Chrysaora

by Cân Cennau (cancennau)



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Autistic!Hermann, Autistic!Newt, Kid Fic, M/M, Mutism, Sensory Overload, Sign Language, kid!Hermann, kid!Newt, light slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 23:12:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5762605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cancennau/pseuds/C%C3%A2n%20Cennau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A companion piece to Cnidaria. Hermann and Newt meet as young boys and bond over jellyfish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chrysaora

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a comment [skull-bearer](skull-bearer.tumblr.com) left on Cnidaria - I said I would write it after my exam, but the plot bunnies wouldn't leave me alone so I wrote it last night. :)

Peace and quiet. That’s what Father would say if he were in this room, Hermann thought to himself. Of course, he wasn’t here - Hermann had last seen him in the big crowd outside the rhinos, a crowd that was too loud and too big and too close and a crowd Hermann had to escape from. The first time he had tried to get away from the noise, an assistant had gently steered him back towards his family, her hands like heavy claws on his shoulders.

She probably meant well.

Hermann didn’t care.

But now he was in the reptile house, a dark, quiet place kept humid for the animals and with a large “PLEASE KEEP QUIET” sign above the entry way. The snakes and the lizards didn’t roar or squawk like the animals outside, there were no loud conversations nor screaming babies here. It was… nice. He thought maybe of finding his Father again, but the idea of facing the crowd again was far too terrifying. And so he stayed put, in his shadowy corner of the reptile house, where it was quiet and safe and not too bright-

_“Young man, should you be here by yourself?”_

Hermann tensed, before realising the assistant was not speaking German to him, but another boy around his age. With black spiky hair and untidy jeans, he looked exactly like the screaming boys outside. Hermann shrank back into the shadows.

 _“Dad’s in another aisle.”_ the boy replied, looking at his shoes. The assistant didn't looked convinced, but she moved away. Hermann watched as the boy peered into the exhibits one by one, his smile almost as bright as the sun. Even he could tell when this boy was happy - he had in his hand a string ball, which he would stretch and fiddle and chew on every time he saw the creatures move.

Hermann didn’t realise the boy was moving with increasing purpose towards him until he was only a tank away. He turned so he was no longer watching the boy, tensing for the inevitable burn of eyes on his face, looking for _eye contact_. Hermann drew a face. Couldn’t the boy see - he didn’t want _anyone_ to talk to him right now!

He heard the boy shuffle towards him, and then stop. He fervently hoped the boy would turn around and leave, but he seemed… to not be moving. Nor looking at him - Hermann couldn’t feel him trying to look at him. Hermann turned a little, and found the boy only a little way behind him. He wasn’t looking at him, but looking down at his outstretched hand, where the string ball lay in invitation. It was a little more worn up close - Hermann could see marks where a dog might’ve chewed on it, and areas which were more stretched than the others. He’d seen things like this in the store - koosh balls, the nice man in the store had called them - but Mother and Father had always hustled him away before he had a chance to pick one up.

Hesitantly, Hermann pulled his sleeves over his hands and picked up the ball. The rubbery strands ran over the tips of his fingers and they felt… good. He rolled his sleeves back and stretched the strands out and smiled, letting them pingback against his skin. This was a good toy, he decided, running his fingers through it as if it were a small cat. This was the kind of toy Father would label “tat” and ban from the house, but Hermann could not see why - it felt so _nice_ , and it was fun to play with, and parts of it looked as if a dog had gotten to it but Hermann didn’t mind, Hermann giggled a little as he passed it between his hands-

The other boy was watching him with a smile, his own hands mimicking Hermann’s as if he had another ball in his own hands. Hermann wanted to thank the boy, felt he _should_ , but his mouth felt stuck and the words still wouldn’t happen. He put the toy in his pocket and raised his hands in a sign.

 _Thank you_.

Father and Mother didn’t like him using sign language, told him he should use German like a normal little boy, even though his aide at school told him he could. But the other boy smiled, and too raised his hands.

_Sign?_

Hermann smiled properly - someone who spoke like him! He signed back; _A bit. You’re like me?_

Newt nodded and smiled. _Name?_

_Hermann. You?_

_Newt. Were you sad?_

Hermann thought for a little while. _A bit._

_Help?_

Mother always insisted that a kiss and a hug would make things better when he got like this, but Hermann always found them too full of perfume and itchy scarves and they _hurt_. But if this boy was like him…

_Mother kisses me better, sometimes._

The other boy paused, before leaning over and giving Hermann a dry kiss on his lips, his hands on Hermann’s shoulders. There was no heavy perfume or itchy scarf - the boy smelt vaguely of sand and damp, but that was it. Newt leant back with a giggle.

 _Your jumper feels nice,_ he signed. Hermann giggled.

 _I like it a lot._ he signed back.

Newt giggled again, but before he could sign some more, a group of people entered the reptile house, followed by a tired-looking tour guide. Their loud chatting and the guide’s attempts to quieten them felt like an affront on Hermann’s sanctuary, and he took a step back into the wall, hoping it would suck him inside and take him away from the people. Newt noticed him doing it, and raised his hands.

 _Find quiet place. Follow?_ He held out his hand. After a hesitation, Hermann took it. Newt’s hand was warm and sticky as they walked through the corridors, away from the loud crowd. Although he was happy to be away from the noise, he hadn’t been to this part of the sanctuary before, and he could feel a funny nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt like they should at least have an adult there, just in case whatever was in the next room climbed out of the tank...

 _Adult?_ he signed one-handedly to Newt. Newt looked over his shoulder.

 _Dad_ , he signed back, and Hermann too looked over his shoulder, noticing a man keeping a respectful distance behind them. Some of the funny feeling in his belly settled, and he gave Newt a half smile as they pushed open the door to the next room, his free hand dipping into his pocket to grasp at the koosh ball in his pocket.

The first thing Hermann noticed about the room was the lighting - a soft, glowy blue that didn’t burn your eyes. The tanks in this room were massive, reaching way above his head into the darkness above. They were all filled with water, and the gentle bubbling sound that came from each of the tanks made Hermann feel a lot better, though he didn’t really know why.

Hermann decided he liked this room more than the last one.

Newt lead him through the tall tanks, towards the back of the room. Hermann looked around them as they moved, taking note of the various animals in each one - a shoal of bright fish, a big flat catfish, an octopus crawled into a jar as they passed… Newt kept leading him deeper into the room until they reached a very specific tank. Hermann recognized the animal inside immedietely.

 _Jellyfish!_ he signed excitedly, letting go of Newt hand to sign it. Newt grinned, and signed the same word back to him. Newt liked jellyfish too!

Hermann turned back to watch the jellyfish swim about. He _loved_ jellyfish, ever since Karla had shown him a photo of one. Granted, Karla had told him that the jellyfish would climb through his window and smother him in his sleep if he didn’t stop annoying her, but Hermann liked to think they would understand him. The graceful way they floated around was pleasing to watch, and they didn’t make strange noises either. Hermann really wanted to touch one, to see if it was a soft as it looked, but he knew from his picture books that it would really hurt to touch a jellyfish.

 _I speak?_ Hermann turned a little and saw Newt sign it out of the corner of his eye. He hesitated, before nodding - one voice would be ok, he thought. There weren’t too many people, it was ok.

Hermann was a bit surprised when Newt did speak - the sound that came out of Newt’s mouth wasn’t what he expected his voice to sound like. But he listened nonetheless, listened to Newt talk about his uncle who had been a “trawler” - Hermann wasn’t exactly sure what that meant - and who had seen lots of jellyfish and had taught Newt about jellyfish like how long their tentacles could grow and…

Hermann wasn’t sure how much time they spent with the jellyfish - he was too engrossed in watching the jellyfish, listening to Newt and beginning to talk himself to even think about going back to find his family. But soon the tour guide and his students from the last room came into this room, and Hermann was torn from the jellyfish and plonked back into real life. He looked around, and saw a very recognisable figure walk through the doors, and look around.

“ _Father-_ ” Hermann said in German, before realising he probably couldn’t hear him. Newt looked at him, then looked at Hermann’s father, then looked at his own dad, who was pretending to watch the octopus. Newt signed across the room - _Hermann’s dad, get him?_ \- and Newt’s dad nodded, disappearing for a moment before reappearing with Hermann’s father by his side.

“ _Father._ ” Hermann said again, giving his dad a small smile. His father gave him a serious look.

“ _Hermann,_ ” his deep voice rumbled. “ _I hope you have not been boring this little boy with your talk on jellyfish?_ ”

Hermann chewed his bottom lip. He hadn’t been boring, had he? Newt had been interested in jellyfish too - he’d taken him here! And jellyfish were _so cool_ , he couldn’t have been boring talking about them-

“ _It’s quite alright._ ” Newt’s dad cut in smoothly. “ _Newt’s special interest is jellyfish too._ ”

“ _Ah._ ” A pause. “ _He is autistic too?”_

“ _Yes. Diagnosed last year. I had not expected to meet another parent…_ ”

“ _It’s a rare disorder.”_ Hermann’s father shrugged. _“It has been difficult to find treatment, let alone…_ ”

“ _I understand._ ” Newt’s dad gave his father a smile. “ _We’d better get going - it was nice meeting both you and Hermann. Newt?_ ”

Newt shuffled forward and took his dad’s hand, giving Hermann a sad look. Hermann struggled with himself for a minute, before offering back the koosh ball - he liked it, but it wasn’t _his,_ and his father would _never_ let him keep it-

 _Yours._ Newt signed it one handedly, as his dad led him back through the crowd. He gave Hermann a smile and a wave, before hurrying to his dad’s side and vanishing into the crowd. Hermann watched him go with a wave of longing, his hand instinctively tightening around the ball in his hand. He tucked the koosh ball in his pocket, as his father took his free hand and began to pull him through the crowd in the opposite direction.

“ _Come_ ,” he said. “ _Mother has been so worried, you wandering off on your own like that, I told you we’d go see the jellyfish after lunch..._ ”

As they reached the door, Hermann could not help but look back at the jellyfish, and wonder whether he would ever see Newt again.


End file.
